Electric-switch handle.



I @513 fum fir W c. 1). PLATT. ELECTRIC SWITCH HANDLE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.5,1909.

928,152; Patented Ju1 13,190'9. I

. oLaR No 1 PLATT, oF' BRIDGEPORT, co -me ca.

I nnno'rnio-swrrcii HANDLE.

Specificatiiin of Letters Patent.

Application m February 5, 1909. j Serial No. 4.76,.258.

To. ullwhom it mayconcern:

Be'it'known that I, CLARENC D. Pram, a citizen of the United'States, residing at. Bridgeport, county of'-"Fairlie ld,-State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful.

Electric Switch Handle, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to operating handles for electric switches of any type in which the cover is held against the base by spring pressure and is especially adapted for indicating switches, so called, that is switches provided with means for indicating whether they are open or closed, and the invention has for its object to provide a-simple and inexpensive handle so constructed that while the cover is held thereby with a spring pressure, the handle shall have no upward movement and the possible upward movement of the cover-shall be so slight as to make it impossible to raise the'cover and shift the same to a false position.

With these and other objects in view I have devised the novel switch handle which I will now describe, referring to the accom- 'panying drawing forming a portion of this specification and using reference characters to indicate the several parts.

Figure is a view partly in elevation and .partly in section, showing the construction of my novel handle which is detached from the spindle; and F ig 2 is a similar view showing the handle attached to the spindle as in use.

1O denotes the base of an electric switch which is ordinarily made of porcelain, and 11 a metallic cover for the operative parts of the switch (not shown as they form no ortion of the present invention). The base is provided with a circumferential shoulder 12 upon which the edge of the cover rests and with a lug 13 which engages a notch 14: in the cover to lock the latter against rotary movement. The object in securing the covers in place by spring pressure is to provide for variation in the height ofthe covers and for variations in the bases.

15 denotes the spindle of the switch which is provided with a shoulder 16 and a threaded end 17. The upper end of the spindle registers with a central hole 18 in the cover illnld. may or may not extend through said 19 denotes the turn buttonof my novel handle which is provided in its under side with a recess 20 andto which a shank 21 is 'ce'ss. The turn button may be 'made of any suitable plastic material as hard rubber, ,so called, and the shank may be molded therein,

'one'or more recesses 23 being for-med in-the shank into which the material of the turn button is pressed while plastic so as to lock the button securely upon the shank.

23 denotes an inverted cup which fits the rigidly secured concentrically with the re--- recess loosely so as to slide freely therein and is provided with a central hole 24 through which the shank is passed, the outer end of the shank being then headed as at 25 to retain the cup thereon. A. spring 26 hearinga ainst the base of recess 20 and the base of the cup acts to normally force the cup outward, as in Fig.- 1, the heading of-the shank preventingthe cup from being forced off therefrom and the cup being made deep enough'so that its edge will remain in the recess, as in Fig. 1, when forced outward by the spring. The outer end of the shank is provided with a threaded hole 27 which receive's and is en aged by the threaded upper end of the spin le. 'In assembling, the shank is turned down on the threaded end of the spindle, passin through hole 18 in the cover, until the end 0 the shank engages shoulder16 on the spindle or the end of the spindle engages the end of the hole in the shank. This forces the cup into recess 20 in. the turn button and compresses the spring, as shown in Fig.1-2. Before attaching the handle to the spindle, the operator of course seats the cover properly on the base with lug 13 on the base in engagement with notch 14 in the cover. ltwill be seen therefore that in the assembled position the turn button will have no upward movement whatever and that although the cover is retained in position by a yielding instead of a positive pressure, the possible upward movement of the cover is so slight as to prevent disengagement of notch 14 from the lug on the base, this for the reason that should the cover be raised when the handle is in position, vtheedge of the cup will engage the bottom of therecess, leaving the lug on the base still engaged with the notch in the cover,

Having thus described my invention, I claim v 1. A handle :of the character described comprising a turn button having a recess in its under side, a shank molded therein concentric with the recess and having a threaded hole in its outer end, an inverted cu carried by the shank and adapted to sli e in the recess, and a spring bearing against the base of the recess and the base of .hole in its outer end, an inverted cup adapted to slide on the shank and a spring acting to force the cup outward, the outer end of the shank being headed to retain the cup thereon.

A handle of the (.h 'fl.'b6l described I comprising a turn button having a shank molded therein, a recess 1n 1ts under side and concentric wlth the shank, an inverted cup carried by the shank and adapted to slide in the recess and a spring adapted to force the cup outward, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix-my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE PLATT.

Witnesses A. M. l/Voos'rnn, S. W. A'rHER'roN. 

